The Black Prince
by calicokitty111
Summary: He had been trapped. He had suffered. Now he returns to rebuild. After the 'The Great Collapse' remnants of the old world begin to restore, and the Black Prince will finally have his chance to even the odds.
1. Chapter 1

Fires raged across the open plateau. He could smell the forests burning into charcoal and the bubbling Lava. It all felt different as It connected with the cold breeze, something he used to take for granted.

His balance somewhat unruly, he stood up. Breaking those chains that held him in that hell had been difficult and had taken lots of energy out of him. That combined with the aftershock that came with the spell, and he could barely walk. Pain seeped into his legs.

"Dammit.", he whispered as he clenched his teeth. He took a few steps forward and fell over in the grass, gasping for air. He felt a burning sensation in his chest. He must have cracked his ribs under the strain of the spell. He pulled himself up, seeing nothing but an open expanse of steppe around him. Nothing was here, but he couldn't risk someone finding him, not in this state.

He stumbled more and more. He made some progress until he collapsed again. He couldn't continue on like this. He racked his brain for a spell that wouldn't kill him, but to no avail, he couldn't even manage a simple healing spell.

Azure looked up again. He saw a small town far off in the distance, a few bellows of smoke, and some trees. Hopefully they weren't explorers.

He almost laughed, wondering what Shining Armor would say about his predicament. He would probably jostle him and call him a wimp, snickering. He began to see spots.

Not yet.

He pulled himself back up, and looked at the town again. He would need nourishment sooner or later. No matter how powerful he was, he was still mortal. He would need to eat. And towns had food.

He cursed himself, not thinking this far. In tartarus, the realm would sustain you, but at the brink of starvation. He had to resort to hunting the wild beasts of the Netherrealm to train and progress. Here, in the real world, he could starve and nobody would care.

This continued on for the next hour. He stumbled closer and closer to the town, collapsing occasionally, and gasping for air as his chest felt like a molten rock under pressure. He saw the town up ahead, and the sound of a river flowing. He couldn't stay awake for long.

He got back up, legs painfully cramped. He dragged himself to the clean river and dunked his head under, rinsing the sweat and grime off of his head and drank from the river to soothe his parched throat. Sitting on the edge of the shore, he took off his clothes, he jumped into the i

Warm desert water and relaxed his muscles. He didn't care if someone found him. He needed to heal and restore his energy.

Just then, he noticed the red shade of blood in the water, and he looked down. Severe burns adorned his body from the aftershock. Skin had been burnt away, revealing flesh. He couldn't leave them open, or he would bleed out.

Azure groaned, channeling his energy into his left hand. A warm, blue glow appeared as he held his hand over the burns. They slowly faded, but his headache grew. He became dizzy. He felt nauseous. He collapsed into the water, the cool feel the only thing keeping him conscious.

He should have been more prepared. He should have been ready. Bit now was the best time. His vision of the outside world in Tartarus was fading day by day. He needed to take advantage of Celestia's weakness. It wouldn't last long.

 _Stop griping_ , he told himself, _it will get you nowhere._

Not yet. He wouldn't fail yet.

He gripped the ledge of the shore and yanked his weak body out of the warm water into the intense heat. The sun beat down on him like a swarm of bees. Hissing with pain, he balanced on his legs with sheer determination alone fueling him. He didn't have time to complain. He never did. Sloth meant death. He dragged his feet to the edge of the town, his strength slowly regaining with every step.

He couldn't let go. Not after what Celestia had done. What she _would_ do. He had to keep moving. He had to work towards something. That was what kept him sane all those years, what kept him sane in Tartarus, in the castle, with and without Cadence.

When he was all alone. He was always alone.

He needed sleep. His determination had held her m steadfast this far. It needed to replenish, just like his mortality. He spotted an old barn nearby, abandoned. It had loose hay and an old crabapple tree lazily hanging near the entrance, a ant compared to the large apple trees in the flat field farther West.

He crouched near the entrance, peering inside. An old hay bale sat in the corner, along with some ratty blankets and a sandbag. A few jars of preserves sat on a rickety shelf that creaked in the wind. No termites, surprisingly, but he doubted they could survive in this heat. Nonetheless, the red paint was peeling and there were holes in the ceiling, but it would do for now.

In a flash, Azure picked up the blankets and spread them out. He used the sandbag as a pillow and left the hay bale as tinder for later. The sun was setting and he needed shelter. The desert could be frigid at night.

He was exhausted after his endeavour, ready to collapse. He felt like he had been trampled by an elephant and left out to rot. He curled up in the ratty blanket and closed his eyes.

* * *

His dreams were never comprehensible. They were always in constant motion, like an engine, an engine of mind.

Sometimes he had spoken with ancient demons, others he explored age old ruins. He never appeared in the same place twice. Ever.

He opened his eyes to a large cavern, at least fifty feet high and over a hundred wide. It was round and a large waterfall fell from the ceiling through a large gap. The whole room seemed abandoned.

He knew it wasn't. At least not now.

He sensed a powerful being behind him, it radiated darkness, but not the pitch black kind he was used to. More like a shroud of smoke. Heavy, beastly breathing echoed behind him.

He turned to face a massive black wolf.

It's fur was a charcoal color, the only real feature being a pair of sharp, yellow eyes that bore into him, as if thinking of all the ways it could gut him like a fresh kill. A black aura surrounded it.

 _So we finally meet, face to face, mind to mind_. _I have watched. Waited. Prepared for this moment. Yet not the most momentous occasion._

Azure stared into its eyes, unfaltered. "Speak, beast. I have little time for riddles. Why have you summoned my subconscious to your realm."

 _Tsk tsk. So impatient. Just like your bloodline. Your kind were always ready to rid them a foe in a moment's notice. As for why I have summoned you, that should be apparent. I am no mere beast._

"What is it you seek? I am genuinely curious. I want this finished."

The massive wolf stared up at the waterfall, its eyes gleaming at the white light of the entrance. _I come to warn you. The road ahead will not be easy. I come to offer you my service._

"As if I didn't know. My entire existence is a challenge. It always has been.", Azures face began to redden with anger. "Everything about me is an affront to this realm."

 _In some ways, yes, but you also belong here. This is your realm. The real that was entitled to you. My service is another entitlement._

"I am just a demon with the will to live. I'm not special."

 _You are. You just don't acknowledge it. That was what Celestia has hoped for this whole time. The hope that you would stay naive and malleable. She got half her wish._

"What do you know of Celestia that I don't? I know everything about her."

The massive wolf snorted, sending a small whirlwind rushing past him. It's eyes glimmered with amusement.

 _Again, naive. You will know most in time. But now, you must have goals to accomplish. Good. Those goals will further your destiny._

"What destiny? I have no destiny. I forge my own path. And my plans are none of your damn business!"

 _Anyone who schemes crosses my path. My bloodline has done it for millennia. With our support comes swift victory. With our opposition comes painful, crushing defeat. Do not forget that._

Azure looked at him skeptically. This was just a dream. A fiction, a phantasm of the mind. It was not to be trusted.

 _The world you live in, and you yourself wield magic beyond compare. It is quite bold to state a dream as phantasmal and not a vision. No matter. You will see soon. For now we must part, but we will meet again, I assure you._

The massive wolf released an ear splitting howl, and the entire room shook. Boulders tore off from the ceiling and crashed to the ground. He could feel the magical aura of this place fading.

The the dream collapsed into itself.


	2. Chapter 2

"Who are you, mister?"

Azures eyes shot open. He was laying in a hard bed, pure wood. The room was stuffy and hot.

Jumping from the bed onto the creaky floorboards, he held out his hand and lit it on fire, a small fireball resting in it. Looking around, he saw an open window, heat and light shining through. The sunrise appeared over the hilly horizon.

He turned around and found a small filly hiding behind the bed, shivering.

"Please, don't hurt me, mister.", she said.

He should have jumped out the window or found the door. Hell, he could've blasted through the damn wall. But for some reason he just couldn't. He didn't know why. He summed it up for the need to find answers mixed with shock and surprise.

He looked back at the filly. She had a cream colored coat and a rough blonde mane and freckles. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Where… where am I?", he let out along with a shaky breath. "What is this place, who _are_ you?"

The little filly peered out from her hiding place and looked him in the eye. Her eyes were a pale yellow. "At daddy's farm…", she trailed off at the last word, looking at him more closely. She seemed more curious now, coming closer. It reminded him of things in the past.

 _You don't need to be scared of her._

 _She's Celestia's personal student. And I'm not scared. I'm wary. Anything remotely connected to her is bad news._

She reminded him of Those eyes, curious as one can be. Her shy and diminished attitude. That was her as a child.

"Who are you?", she said, snapping Azure back into reality. She was right in front of him now, looking up at him. It spooked him, but not directly. He kept imagining her as Twilight.

"I… I shouldn't be here", he stated. "I need to leave… I need to get out of here."

"But… mister." the little filly almost seemed disappointed.

Just then, the door opened slowly. "Darnit, Maribelle, I told you to leave him alone. You can ask him que-", another cream colored pony wandered in, and her eyes widened at the sight of him being awake. She was an older mare, at least fifty, with a light brown mane and brown eyes. She had an old farmhand hat on, with a few holes and a soft green ribbon in place of the buckle set.

"Maribelle, go in your room."

"But-"

"Go.", she said sternly.

The disappointed looking filly groaned and trudged out the door. The older mare sighed and put on a strained smile. "Now, It's good that your awake, you need-"

"I _need_ to leave."

She raised her eyebrow in an almost mocking way. "Really? You collapsed outside due to dehydration, in an old barn nonetheless. You need to eat."

"I cannot stay here. I have places to be."

She maintained her skepticism. "You are really an interesting… fella, aren't you? Most ponies who collapse in barns out here are glad for some hospitality. Now, you aren't leaving. Your gonna get yourself killed. Besides, you look like you got a story to tell, don't ya? I'd like to hear that tale."

Azure let out a grumble. On one hand, his throat was dry as a desert. He wouldn't hold up out in the sun. On the other, every moment he spent idle was a moment Celestia could track him. He couldn't risk that.

"Whatever you feel like you need to do, you need to at least rest here for a day. Your bones were bruised, and you had a broken rib. You'd be damned if I'm gonna let you go out there injured. I just ain't that kinda person.

Azure knew he wasn't going to get out of this reasonably, and although he had a no witnesses policy, he couldn't do it to these innocent people. That only applied to those who actively went against him. "Fine, _one day._ After that I'm gone."

The old mare softened here gaze and gave a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you stopped acting like a child. Now, how 'bout we grab something to drink and we'll share some stories. Wheatfield will be back in an hour or two, and he'll wanna see if your ok."

Azure sighed in stress and followed her out the door into the hall. The walls were painted a light brown and the floor was mild oak. Old pictures in black and white adorned the walls within ornately carved frames, some in the shape of mythical creatures, others depicting the branches of magical trees.

"You have quite the collection…", said Azure, attempting to make small talk.

"These pictures had been in my family for over a century. It had grown since then."

"I meant the frames. They are lovely", and they were. It took quite the craftsman to make all of these.

The old mare chuckled. "Yes, those were created by my husband, a long time ago."

"Where is he now?"

"In a better place."

"I'm… sorry for asking."

The Mare looked at him, and smiled. "You don't have to be. I'm passed that now. But you still owe me that story." Azure noticed as she finished her remark that they had entered a small but cozy dining room. A warm fireplace was cackling on the far side, next to another door that could have only been a kitchen due to the intense smells of a warm stew of sorts. The wallpaper was the same, but a humble chandelier of candles hung from a polished iron chain on the ceiling. The chairs and table were carved from the same wood as the picture frames.

"Please, sit. I reckon it's gonna be a long afternoon."

Azure sat, but only out of the ruze of being polite. He still couldn't stay long.

"So, what's your tale? A creature like you has gotta have one."

"I'm on the move", Azure said, which wasn't untrue. He did need to stay on his feet.

"Hmmm, you one of those refugees, from sandalwood? Damn, Celestia has really abandoned those people. Hasn't done anything to help them beyond a few funds here and there. The earthquake tore them up bad.

Azures died a little inside. He hadn't meant to cause such destruction by leaving Tartarus. It was the last thing he wanted to do. He could just imagine how Celestia would parade the news across the media, picturing him as a bloodthirsty, destructive demon of fire.

"I'm a refugee, of sorts. Not from Sandalwood. Some place far off."

"Well, welcome to Equestria then, our little slice of corruption. It ain't pretty, but me and Wheatfield don't feel like moving. Ain't no place to go. Got the griffons to the north and the great desert farther south of here. Beyond it is a mystery. Beyond the griffons is the great wastes, the Frozen North. Princess Cadence rules the Crystal Empire."

"That place reappeared? I thought it was banished into Oblivion by Sombra." Azure had not seen _that_ in his visions. Then again he mostly looked into Celestia's court politics. He had seen Luna return, as well as some of Twilight's progress, but things became bleary over time. He hadn't pictured that would happen.

"Yeah, a few years ago. Just came out of nowhere and brought Sombra back with it. It thought it was gone for good as well. Nobody knows who the original owners were, but I guess that's for the best."

Azure knew though. Before the great collapse, when most of the alicorns were still alive, it was ruled by a sub house of the Grand Alicove, the Alicorn royal family and it's subordinates. Not much was known on how it fell, but historians believed it was conquered by an unknown force some two thousand years ago. After the great collapse it fell into disarray.

But Azure knew more than that.

Before he was imprisoned in Tartarus by Celestia, he worked as a wayfinder, one who explored ancient ruins. He did this to get out of the royal household for months at a time, since Celestia didn't want him influencing her new student and Azure didn't want Celestia to keep trying to make him practice equestrian magic, for it would harm his dark anatomy.

He had stumbled upon an old lore archive belonging to the alicorns and discovered that this _unknown force_ was actually a warband of _ish'gythians_ , a race of bipedal, vulpine like creatures with a tribal disposition and a druidic religion. They were surprisingly well armed, leading Azure to believe they were mercenaries or a standing army employed by a much larger force, whether it be inside or out of the scheming Alicove.

"Well, you must be hungry. I'll go make us something to eat. Why don't you go out and see if Wheatfield is back?

Azure nodded, and walked through the hall to the door. But before he could open it, somepony else did. Standing on the porch was a gruff pony.

"So, you're awake?"


End file.
